Home Schooling

Home schooling gives you the power to instill values in your child that are important to you. As a parent who has decided to home school your child, you have a monopoly over your child's education and worldview. But as the old saying goes, to whom much is given, much is required.

The tips below will help you meet the rigorous requirements that come along with home schooling. As the first in this article series, this piece offers strategies that will ensure your home school is successful.

1. STRATEGIZE. What subjects will you teach? How will you move your child from one grade level to the next? How will you supplement the curriculum? And what about language study or advanced mathematics? Answer questions such as these in the beginning. Doing so will help you plan a proper curriculum for your student.

2. FORETELL. Your student may eventually enter mainstream schooling in middle or high school. She might have plans for an out-of-state college, medical study, or a career on Wall Street. To help her reach her goals, learn about the requirements for these next stages, and then tackle these prerequisites in your curriculum.

3. CHEAT. There are many home school networks and models from which to learn. Visit websites, attend meetings, and get valuable information. You can also find tips in articles like this one. Books such as Home School Learning by Rebecca Rupp and The Well-Trained Mind by Jesse Wise are excellent resources.

4. BUILD. Don't forget about the school part of home school. List school supplies you will need--such as desks, chairs, text books, bins, and so on--to build a school environment at home. Give yourself a few months to secure the proper items to create the perfect school environment.

5. STUDY. Improve the effectiveness of your child's education by learning more about teaching. The Creative Teacher by Brandy Alexander and Understanding by Design by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe are two great resources. Consider taking a basic education course at a local college.

Educating your child at home is no easy endeavor. Luckily, the home school movement has allowed parents the option of creating a learning environment that they feel is best for their child. Use the tips above to help ensure that your home school is as successful as possible.

Statistics indicate that the number of parents opting to home school their kids is on the rise. That is not surprising, since there are many reports indicating that children who underwent home schooling performs a lot better than those who go to school in a traditional way.

In the past, a majority of parents who home schooled their children did so because of religious or personal beliefs. What they believed in goes directly against the idea of sending their kids with others of their own age to interact freely or it could be that they don't want their kids to be confused with the teaching in schools.

Things have changed now and some parents just go for home schooling because they feel that it is the best move to bring out the best in their kids. If you believe in the same way and you want to try home schooling then it is important that you should know how to properly prepare for it.

Home schooling your kids means that you will be taking on the responsibility of being their teacher. There is no need to emphasize the importance of such a responsibility. It will basically determine if your child will actually be learning or not.

In order to help you out on starting to become a home schooling parent, here are some of the things that you need to do in order to prepare properly for the task:

1. First of all, you need to assess your own ability to teach your kids. Do you feel confident that you can handle that responsibility? If you have your doubts then you should seek the opinion of someone who is an expert on the matter, and when I say an expert, that doesn't mean your friends at work or your neighbor.

2. You need not have a doctorate on some subject in order to teach your kids at home, but it would really be helpful if you have a strong background in education yourself. That would allow you to handle your kid's home education in the right way.

3. Pick the curriculum that you would be following for your kid's education. Read the materials that will be used and make sure that you understand them.

4. Don't stop using the resources that you will be getting. It would help if you study further and use other materials that you can find in order to conduct your research. It is important that you know the subject that you are going to teach by heart.

5. Look for some training where you can get some knowledge on the proper teaching methods especially for children. You can also do it online. There are many resources where you can learn teaching in the proper way.

6. Be confident about yourself. Your kids will feel it when you start to doubt yourself when you are teaching them and that simply would never do. You have to gain their trust and that starts by believing in yourself that you can actually teach your kids.

It is a huge decision to make with regards to having your child home schooled or not. Many parents with the way the world is have decided to remove their children from the traditional school setting and have them home schooled. These parents truly feel that the traditional school setting is far too dangerous for their child to be involved in. Many of the high schools have now gotten metal detectors installed in all of the entrances to the school, along with these metal detectors are security guards and even police.

Many of these parents feel that high school studies are hard enough for children to deal with they should not have to deal with worrying about being safe. It is sad to say but many children going to high school look at it as just a social setting or a place to deal drugs out of. These are the children that ruin it for the children that really want to get an education and work towards having a stable job and future.

When parents start to investigate Home Schooling for their child they must make sure to talk to their child and find out what the child is thinking. It is important that the child not be forced into a Home School setting. A child that is forced to learn does not learn as well as a child who enjoys learning. Parents must also speak with other parents of Home Schooled children. It is a good idea to have the child speak to a child who has been Home Schooled. Parents should investigate what College and Universities think of Home Schooled children that apply to their institutions.

When a child is Home Schooled parents should make sure that the child has outside interests that will allow them to interact with children of their own age group. One of the things that Home Schooled children say they miss is being around kids their own age. If you involve your child in outside activities such as sports, music or the arts and you make sure that the other children in these classes are in the same age group as your child your child will have that much needed interaction. It is important that the Home Schooled child sticks to a normal daily regime. The learning should start at the same time every day and the child should be given 2 small breaks and a lunch break during the day. It is also important that the child have all of the tools in the home needed for learning.

Make sure to investigate Home Schooling as much as possible before deciding whether or not to get your child involved with it. Like everything, Home Schooling will have good and bad points.

Over the years many parents have become disillusioned with the traditional schooling methods and thought more about the possibilities of home schooling. I would go as far as saying that home schooling has never been more popular than it is today. This is mainly down to the parents concerns of the falling educational standards and the increase in violence at many of these traditional schools.

Home schooling however used to be shunned as many people thought that home schooled children were anti social and did not want to interact with other children.

This is because children that were home schooled did not have the same sort of outlook on the world and were not as experienced in the ways of the world. This meant that when they finally came out of the comfort of their own homes they got a bit of a culture shock.

There is however certain advantages that can be taken from home schooling. If you have a child who struggles or has a weakness in a subject then you can spend as much time as you can with them to help them in the subject. Unfortunately at traditional schools pupils are not afforded this luxury.

Pupils in home schooling also learn to settle quicker as they have no need to worry about any outbreaks of violence from other pupils. They do not need to worry about strict teachers. In fact there are fewer distractions all round for home schooled pupils which means they tend to focus better.

Home schooling sounds an ideal scenario but as with anything else this also has certain disadvantages. As has been mentioned earlier home schooled children will probably not socialize as much as children in traditional schools. This can have an effect when it comes to them going out into the world to find employment. It could make them less likely to be able to work with other people.

Traditional schools will have a set curriculum of education to work from whereas home schooled children will not. This may mean that the level of education from home schooled children may not be as high as those from traditional schools.

Any parent that considers home schooling for their children must weigh up all the pros and cons beforehand and then they are in a better position to make a correct judgment for their children education.

Multi-Age Home Schooling can be a much more expensive choice for the family than Public Schooling, as there are a lot of expenditures that need to be made.

This hasn't stopped families to home school their children, realizing this way is a much more effective and flexible option. That being said, it doesn't mean that there aren't ways you can reduce costs. Here are a few tips that will help you do just that:

You don't have to buy the textbooks and all the other materials - just the ones you can't borrow from the library or from local schools where you should be able to lend them or buy them at a cheap price. Other materials you can just download from the internet and print them at your convenience.

Visit the online multi-age home based schooling communities and just ask where you can find free or cheap learning resources.

Another great way to teach your child at a very low price is to simply go to the zoo, botanic gardens or if you want to teach history you can easily visit museums or historical sites. Culture can be taught by visiting various cultural locations or by going to the theater. Many of these are free, and the others cost very little.

Every neighborhood has its home based schooling community. By joining these home based schooling communities, you can learn from other homeschooling parents by sharing experience.

The community can ask the local public school for donations of used textbooks, and other useful materials. The home based schooling community can develop a fund together and negotiate with publishers for cheaper prices.

You should take these tips into consideration and reduce multi-age home schooling costs so you can use the money for other pleasurable activities for you and your family.

More and more children are studying at home instead of going through the conventional school system. Sometimes circumstances make home schooling necessary. If you travel or move a lot as a family, it can be too much to transfer a child in and out of schools. Some children respond better to the individual attention. Others can't maintain a regular school schedule for medical reasons. Whatever the reason, home schooling is proving to be a great option.

There are some great advantages to home schooling. The first is that children get a more individualized education. Parents usually are keen on areas that their children are gifted in and can play up those strengths. Another benefit is that a lot of kids find the traditional school environment too distracting and have an n easier time concentrating at home. The other is if you lead a very mobile life and are moving or vacationing constantly, home schooling is a great way to keep the family together.

If you aren't home schooling your child but are considering it, assess his or her personality to make sure they will respond well to the concept. Do they distract easily? If so, it may be better to educate them at home. Are they self motivated? This is another reason to educate your child at home.

There is a big disadvantage to home schooling, but it can be conquered. Children learn a lot of social skills when they are confronted with their peers on a constant basis. Some children don't get that kind of education when they are home schooled, even if the parent tries to put them in social situations. However, with regular opportunities to interact with other children, this may not be a factor. It's just something to think about when deciding if home schooling is right for your family.

Overall, there are advantages and disadvantages to home schooling. Consider all the factors and decide what is best for your family.

Home schooling can be a difficult decision. Many believe that home schooling can not prepare a child to deal with real life situations. By attending a public school, the child is more likely to be involved in school team sports, drama clubs, band activities, after school clubs, and be more socially interactive with others. Many of these activities are fundamental for the growth and emotional well being of a child.

Alternatively, an argument can be made that there is just as much social stimulation at home as there is in public school. For a large number of home schooled children, many have friends that live within their neighborhood that they can play and interact with. After school sports programs are available for in many areas, typically at community centers. These programs can prove to be a great source for social interaction.

A good way to obtain additional home schooling information is to ask parents of other home school children. More than likely they can share what activities they do, as well as inform you what type of approach they use; a facilitated self study approach or lecture oriented approach.

This information will help lead you to a better idea of whether or not you are able to handle a teaching job. Contrary to some beliefs, teaching is not an easy task. It takes great dedication and determination to ensure that the children are always excited about learning, moving at a steady pace, and keeping them interested in what is next. If you are interested in home schooling, teaching classes are available through some schools.

There are many resources available online regarding home schooling. Blogs and websites can provide you with relevant home school information. Many of these sites are maintained by parents who home school and provide information on what problems may be encountered in home schooling and the solutions they have.

Although teaching can be difficult, many find the end result rewarding. Home schooling can provide parents and children a nice balance and learning environment to exceed in.

If you find that your child is struggling in a public school and is becoming more downcast as time goes by then home schooling may be an option which you should look at. However, be prepared for a transition period after removing the child from the public school system before diving into 'full-time' home schooling.

If your child is currently in public school then you must begin by determining your state's home schooling laws. Ensure that you are able to comply with all of your state's requirements before you take any action. Once you are happy that you can meet all of the requirements of the state you should contact your child's school and inform them that you are removing. If you do not formally remove your child then this may lead to truancy issues in the future. You should also be ready for them to ask questions and possibly to resist your action.

The process for the withdrawal of your child will depend on where you live however it will frequently mean simply writing a letter to the superintendent of schools. You will need to state that you have elected to home school your child. You will also have to provide proof that you are adhering to the laws of the state and are legally allowed to remove your child from school. If you can quote sections of the state regulations in your letter then this will help to show that you are familiar with the law and with your rights to home school your child.

After you have dealt with the formalities you will then need to think about the following:

1. Your child is no longer a prisoner of the rules of the public school system and will need to be permitted some time to get used to the change. As a result, you should not rush into schooling but should let your child have a bit of time to adjust to this new lifestyle.

2. Permit yourselves a little time to get to know one another. You might think that you know your child however it is quite possible that you do not know him at all. You may discover that there are areas of your child's character which you never knew existed and he could also discover a few new things about you too.

3. You might notice that your child continues to do a few things which he has become accustomed to doing at school. A few new home school children will raise their hand when they want to ask a question or when they have to use the restroom. It might take a little time but those school habits will eventually disappear.

4. Try to hang on to some of the better habits which he has acquired. If, for instance, your child is in the habit of having spelling tests on a particular day then add this into your home schooling schedule. If you permit him to stop doing all of the things he has grown used to in public school then you might end up with more problems than you solve.

5. Take the time to enjoy the process of home schooling with your child. Electing to home school is of course primarily for the student however it should also be enjoyable for you. Try not to take yourself too seriously and cut yourself some slack and have fun. Perhaps most important of all do not forget why you decided to home school and enjoy the freedom which home schooling affords.

So you are a Mom or Dad who is sold on the benefits, both present and future, of home schooling your child. You have weighed the options, the costs and the benefits and you have decided on a course of action. Because you believe in your heart that it is the best thing you can do, you have made the brave and commendable decision to home school your child.

But what if your child is not as enthusiastic about the idea as you are? Many parents, especially those who have decided to home school after their child has been attending public or private school for a number of years, find themselves encountering resistance from the child. Usually this is due to the child feeling that he/she will "miss out" on the friendships and experiences in which the other children will be participating. What is a parent to do in a circumstance like this?

If you have definitely decided that your child will benefit more through home schooling, there is one thing you definitely should NOT do. You should not give them the, "It is my way or the highway," approach if you want your child truly benefit from the home school experience. In other words, a heavy handed, "We are doing it because I am the parent and I said so," will simply further frustrate the child who feels that something important is being taken away.

You should also not allow your child to railroad you into giving in to his/her way by throwing tantrums, acting out or other less than desirable behaviors. In these circumstances, keep your cool until the child has calmed down, and firmly reiterate that his/her bad behavior is not going to change things.

This being said, there are several things a parent can do that will help the child to not just feel comfortable with home schooling, but to enjoy and even cherish the experience, and to increase the chances of the child's success. First and foremost, sit down with the child and explain that because you are the parent, and it is your responsibility to do the best that you know how in raising your children, and because you love him/her so very much, you have carefully considered the options and have chosen home schooling as the best one.

Second, you can explain the short-term benefits of home schooling to the child. You can talk to him about working at his own pace, in the comfort and security of his own home. You can tell her about the field trips you will take, both alone and with other home schooled children and parents, that children in traditional school will not be able to do. You can explain about the fun things to be studied and learned that children in traditional school will not be able to access.

Then, you can talk to your child about the future, and how you want your child to have absolutely the best life he/she possibly can have. And that you believe that home schooling will give your child a definite head start on such a life. When your child sees and feels that what you are doing comes from a place of genuine love and caring for him, he will respond positively. Even if she does not come around right away, keep reinforcing these things, always from the standpoint of your love for her, and she will.

Be firm, but not authoritarian. Be loving, but in control. And know that in the end, standing firm for what you believe in is one of the best life examples you can ever give your child. You have made the right decision. Congratulations!

We are living in a world of competency in this 2st century, there is such a software called a home schooling computer program for every parents that are home schooling their kids. It is a widely accepted tool for every home student.

Some of the children finds that school environment is not conducive for learning. So by shifting to interesting lessons that can be done with the help of computer, more or less children will find it more comprehensive and accessible way of learning.

What choices are available for the home student?

#1 It includes different curriculum

#2 It provides on-going lessons.

#3 Of course, it has programs in it.

#4 There are also websites for the users.

#5 Worksheets are provided for the users.

From these choices, it provides and keep children involves in a different and unique manner of learning.

Computer programs which we can refer on the internet, which provides a combination of choices and information. The home schooling computer program assists the curriculum with:

#1 Multimedia environment.

#2 There are games to be learned.

#3 There are assessments with reports.

#4 There are interactive lessons for the users.

#5 The worksheets can also be printed.

Aside from the choices above, home schooling computer program is available for every subject like: math, reading, spelling, science and a lot more.

Why parents need this software?

In order to facilitate their kids using this software, all parents must learned and take part in this program. Parents must provide a proper time management for their children upon doing so, to have a better flow and systematic way of learning.

Parents must act like a teacher in school to their kids, set a planner for them to follow, so that they will be guided accordingly.

The quality of learning by engaging children and motivating them to learn better. It is not about teaching less per se, but teaching differently.

Feedback from this program has shown that they are motivated to learn more and are able to apply what they have learnt. Based on previous records and analysis of children's performance, the program will introduce remedial lessons to address learning gaps from the previous year.

There might be some who may need closer attention or learn at a slower pace. Remedial lessons is planned to help such children learn better and consolidate what they have learnt.

With such a program in place, both parents and kids tasks will be much easy as it provides everything what a learner must learn. It also provides a teaching bonding relationship between parents and kids.

In conclusion, home schooling computer program is a great plus point for both the parent and their kids so as to improve one's knowledge and experience. Having home schooled your kids at the comfort of your own homes is going to be the trend of modern education. I believe it is going to stay for good as most government is facing shortages of teachers.

Therefore, Eddy has started a information guide on how to help parents home schooled their kids and also recommend some tips and techniques to home schooling for the kid in developing him to be a genius.

Home schooling has gained greatly in popularity over the years. Many parents feel the education system is not doing its job to educate their children. Some parents have decided to school their children themselves. This form of schooling takes place in the home and is structured in a similar manner to the regular school experience. I have noted that in families where a child is receiving home schooling, that the child tends to be a little further ahead than his/her peers.

Parents work with the school to provide an education that is equal to the one they would receive in a regular school setting. The children must have learning sessions in topics such as math, reading, science, and history. There must also be some form of physical activity during the day, comparable to gym. The physical activities used in home schooling are many times used as a positive reinforcement to keep good study habits.

Of course, like most things, home schooling has its advantages and disadvantages. It is up to you to decide is home schooling is right for your children.

Advantages include a more focused learning environment. Without the distraction of other students, children will be able to concentrate on what is being taught. It is also a more relaxed atmosphere. Children are comfortable in their own homes, aren't embarrassed to be wrong, and won't feel the social pressure to conform to others' opinions. These all can be great pluses for home schooling.

There are also drawbacks to home schooling. Social skills are not developed as quickly. The children are often sheltered from life situations such as not being included in a group or being the best in the class. These children can sometimes feel uncomfortable in social situations because they are not used to them. By allowing the child personal interactions with their peers, you can get over this disadvantage rather quickly.

Home schooling is a decision that should be made based on the child's attitude and social adjustment. While it can be a wonderful experience stimulated with learning and free thought, it can teach children not to rely on community, which is something we all rely on at some point during our lives. Ignoring this could make settling into college or a career a lot more difficult than it has to be. Not saying that a child will not fit in, just that it can prove to be harder. There are also steps you can take to make this transition as smooth as possible.

The Montessori system of education is named after its creator, Dr. Maria Montessori who was a doctor, scientist, philosopher and anthropologist. She perceived that external influences do not just influence a young child's mine, they form it. Therefore the aim of the teacher is not to control or impart knowledge to a child, but to create an environment where the child is exposed to the desired influences.

This concept is best created in the home, which explains the popularity and success of the Montessori home school system. Even in the best of schools young children in kindergarten or the first, second and third grades are exposed to many negative influences. Some children are just naturally unhappy in large groups. Others will pick up habits from badly behaved children or even develop anti social tendencies. The aim of the Montessori system is not to correct these things, but to prevent them from happening in the first place. While this can be achieved with some success in a regular school environment, it can be done best in the home in a Montessori home school.

In a Montessori home school children are allowed to be free in their own environment. This allows a child to express its natural curiosity and as concepts a grasped, a need for order and organization develops and along with that so does self discipline. Obviously the safest place for a young child to be given this freedom is at home.

Young children have an innate desire to do things for themselves, either out of curiosity or to imitate the action of elders. The Montessori home school will provide children to participate in "adult" activities like cleaning, washing, gardening and so on. When a child is involved in these "natural" activities, things like learning what the letters C A T spell becomes equally natural. The Montessori home school allows children to learn by allowing freedom to their desire to understand. Allowing this freedom to children allows their self confidence and self esteem to also grow.

In a Montessori home school the parent does not direct the child towards subjects to learn. Rather the parent follows the child's natural inclinations and curiosity to support him or her in their efforts to understand what interests them. Of course, not everything will interest every child but the satisfaction children get from understanding things that interest them will lessen their resistance, in later years, to studying subject that are not appealing to them. The subconscious memory of the satisfaction that comes from understanding will overcome many of the barriers to studying "boring" subjects.

The Montessori home school is a positive way to begin a child's education. Even if later on parents decide to send their children to regular schools, the benefits of the Montessori home school will stay with the child for life. By allowing children to progress at their own pace and making understand that there are things they want to learn as well as things they are required to learn, a balanced outlook towards life is created in the minds of the children and this balance will stand them in good stead when they move out on their own.

Deciding to home school your child is a wonderful decision and I hope it is not one you took lightly. As a former teacher, I am here to help you move forward in your decision. This three-part article will help you take the necessary steps in creating a learning environment where your child can fully develop at home. I truly believe you, as a parent, can teach your child. Good luck and happy teaching.

Prepare Yourself for Teaching

The very first step is to completely devote yourself to your task to teaching your child each and every day. This will be your job as the teacher of your children. This is your legal responsibility as their guardian. It should not be taken lightly and no one should tell you to do it later. Teachers do this for eight hours for a reason, so should you.

Choose a Teaching Style

Some teachers follow Montessori others follow Waldorf.

You need to decide what you consider a good high, quality education. The very reason you chose to home school was that you wanted your child to get a good education. If you don't decide how to educate your child, then you will never create a proper learning environment.

Study up on the different home school methods, choose which method fits your teaching style and go from there.

A few examples include:

• unschooling
• Diane Lockman's authentic classical trivium (The Classical Scholar)
• Charlotte Mason's methodology
• Global Student Network
• International Virtual Learning Academy

There is an enormous amount of information that you will need to weed through before you to start teaching. This is overwhelming for a first year teacher and it is even more so for a parent. At least teachers have a semblance of where to begin. Home schooling parents often don't know where to begin. Let me help you out here.

Pick a curriculum guide and go with it your first year. The following years, as you get more comfortable, feel free to branch out and veer from the curriculum. The first year is hard enough. Pick a curriculum guide and follow it, as you will be overwhelmed enough teaching it all as it is

Go Local for Support

The Internet is full of local groups of home school parents looking for support groups. These are great places to hook up for field trips, PE, activities and support. When the kids get older, you can do co-op classes, get advice, and even co-teach. They are a very valuable support network you will love to have help you out.

Focus on the Legality of Your Home School

Different states have different laws, so look them up. In many states, it is up to you to follow the structure and if you don't you could be fined or worse. Make sure you get a copy of the law. (Some states, the school has to provide a copy of the law to you.)

In most cases, the schools wipe their hands clean once you decide to home school. Be very clear, they will have nothing to do with you once you make the decision. They treat it like a dropout.

Stay Tuned for Part Two of How to Home School Your Child

Hopefully, this has helped you get you on your way to home schooling your child. In part two of "How to Home School Your Child," I will help you prepare your family and friends. Then we will discuss how to plan the day, methods of records keeping and other factors that go into a successful home schooling experience. Until next time, I wish you a happy home schooling experience.

There's an interesting movement taking place across America these days.  While all over the world tensions are heating up over wars and saber rattling, while the collective economies worldwide are in shambles and while most of the rest of the world, it would seem, are on their Internet blogs, a small, but growing number of parents are beginning to home school their children.

A survey released in December of 2008 done by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics reported that in the Spring of 2007, over 1.5 million children were being home schooled.  And that was up over 400,000 kids from just four years earlier.  And almost double the figure from 1999. What's going on?

The top three reasons parents gave for home schooling were:

1. They had concern about the school environment.
2. They wanted to provide more religious or moral instruction.
3. They had dissatisfaction with the academic instruction available.

Most of the concern in reason number one is centered around violence, the threat of violence or the way students were allowed to interact with each other while at school.  As we all remember, there were always bullies and snide little girls who both found a way to play tricks, talk badly about us or in some cases actually cause us minor harm in some way.  Some schools have gone a long way past that sort of behavior these days.  Kids have been injured or killed and not just in the mass slayings so much in the news these days.  We're talking about daily acts of purposeful harm or threats to students by other students.  Maybe it's the violence in the media and movies or the latest gansta hip-hop song lyrics or even fast food; no one knows for sure.  The simple fact remains that it gets harder to deal with every year.  And it's not just the kids making this a difficult matter to deal with.  Teachers have told me it's much worse sometimes to deal with the parents of those kids.  Some parents blame the teachers themselves for the way their kids are and the way they act.  It's as if there's been a paradigm shift in some people's minds that the school system should raise the kids and teach them right from wrong and how to conduct themselves around other people.  What had normally and rightly been a duty and responsibility of parents has now somehow  been shifted toward the school systems.  And in the litigious society we live in, we all know that kind of thing would even be impossible to do even if they wanted to.  Something is indeed out of whack.  It's actually surprising more parents aren't home schooling.

The second reason to home school given above really needs no explanation.  Parents merely want more structure and faith to enter into their children's education.  That's their prerogative.

And the third reason is actually self-explanatory also.  Parents just don't feel their school systems live up to their expectations for a quality education.  They would rather sacrifice their time and money than short their child's education.  A noble expression of love.

Elementary home schooling, preschool homeschooling and even high school homeschooling are on the rise in America.  And for all the right reasons.

Most home schooling programs are fully comprehensive and provide everything you would need for your child's complete k-12 education. However, you should keep in mind that many experienced home schoolers do not stick to just one program. They pick and choose from what they believe are best of each of the various programs. I cover in greater detail how people mix and match in my home schooling newsletter.

There are many popular and respected home schooling programs. The ones I'll cover briefly here are Saxon, Center for Learning and Curriculum Associates.

Perhaps one of the more well-known home schooling programs comes from Saxon. Saxon is a part of Harcourt Achieve, a publisher that provides a variety of educational materials across various subjects. Saxon focuses on math, phonics and early learning. Many home schoolers like Saxon's math texts. Math is an area that children will need expert instruction in. If the parents don't have a math background, Saxon may be the right math program for your child.

The Center for Learning is another of the great home schooling programs. They provide curriculum materials to public, private and parochial schools. They are also a favorite choice of home schoolers. Just as Saxon provides good math texts, the Center for Learning provides materials on English, Language Arts, Drama and Social Studies. They provide religious materials.

Finally, another favorite among the various home schooling programs is Curriculum Associates. Their materials focus on Reading, Language Arts and Math. They also have materials on test preparation, study skills and assessment.

As I mentioned, most parents will not stick to any one of the home schooling programs. They will choose Reading from this publisher and Math from that one. They often find what they like best through experimentation or from what their friends recommend.

So, which of the home schooling programs do you choose? If it were me, I would contact your State's Department of Education Home School contact person. This individual will know what programs with which students are having the most success.